Nucleic acid amplification technology used for inspecting nucleic acid contained in a sample deriving from a biological body includes a technique employing the polymerase chain reaction (hereinafter referred to as a “PCR method”), for example. In the PCR method, a desired type of base sequences can be selectively amplified by controlling the temperature of a reaction solution (mixture of the sample and a reagent) according to preset conditions.
A temperature control device described in Patent Literature 1 is known as an example of conventional technology related to the nucleic acid amplification employing the aforementioned PCR method. The temperature control device comprises a disk-shaped microchip having a bath region into which a reaction solution as the object of the experiment is injected. After the microchip is set at a desired position by rotating the microchip in a circumferential direction in parallel with a stage, the microchip is pushed toward the stage by using a cover member so as to bring the microchip's bath region into contact with one of heat transfer parts that are arranged in the circumferential direction of the stage and set at different temperatures, by which the temperature of the bath region is controlled.